The interactive effect of extraversion and extraversion dissimilarity on emotional exhaustion in customer service employees: A test of the asymmetry hypothesis

Date
2010-04
Authors
Perry, Sara J.
Dubin, David F.
Witt, L. A.
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Elsevier
Abstract

Testing the asymmetry hypothesis with regard to personality and one indicator of employee well-being, we explored the interactive effects of extraversion dissimilarity and individual extraversion on customer-oriented exhaustion. We predicted that high-extraversion individuals would experience increased exhaustion when their coworkers were dissimilar on the trait of extraversion, whereas low-extraversion individuals would be unaffected by dissimilarity, because they generally avoid coworker interaction. In a sample of 313 call center employees, we found that high-extraversion individuals experienced increased exhaustion when their coworkers were lower in extraversion, but this relationship was nonsignificant for low-extraversion individuals. These findings may help managers understand risk factors and prevent customer-oriented exhaustion among their customer-service employees.

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Perry, S. J., Dubin, D. F., & Witt, L. A. (2010). The interactive effect of extraversion and extraversion dissimilarity on emotional exhaustion in customer service employees: A test of the asymmetry hypothesis. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(5), 634-639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.12.022